Security

Middle East: Israeli attacks may lead to new terror networks, says expert

Gaza, 29 Dec. (AKI) - The latest Israeli attacks on Gaza could promote the growth of 'new Al-Qaeda' terror networks, a British terrorism expert warned on Monday. Kamal El-Helbawy, director of The Centre for the Study of Terrorism, said the raids had provoked widespread anger throughout the Middle East and many people, even children, were now talking about revenge. While stressing that the Islamist Hamas group was committed only to the liberation of the Palestinian territories, El-Helbawy said many others were not.

"There are people who will not be happy with that, they condemn Hamas as too soft," he told Adnkronos International (AKI) in a telephone interview from London.

"There is no difference in their minds between Mahmoud Abbas (Palestinian Authority President) and Ehud Olmert (Israeli prime minister). They consider Abbas unwilling to liberate his country."

Egyptian-born El-Helbawy, one of the founders of the Muslim Association of Britain, said if a solution was not found, he did not expect peace to prevail in the Middle East.

El-Helbawy who took part in an interfaith conference between Muslims and Christians in London on Monday, warned the conflict could worsen, particularly if Israel launched a ground invasion.

"It will get worse," he said. "The Palestinians will not stop, they will defend their country to the last citizen."